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Trifolium pratense (Red Clover) is a species of clover, native to Europe, western Asia and...

Trifolium pratense (Red Clover) is a species of clover, native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalised in many other regions. It is an herbaceous, short lived perennial plant, variable in size, growing to 20-80 cm tall. The leaves are alternate, trifoliate (with three leaflets), each leaflet 15-30 mm long and 8-15 mm broad, green with a characteristic pale crescent in the outer half of the leaf; the petiole is 1-4 cm long, with two basal stipules. The flowers are dark pink with a paler base, 12-15 mm long, produced in a dense inflorescence. The plant was named Trifolium pratense by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753. Pratense is Latin for "found in meadows". There are seven varieties: Aids It is widely grown as a fodder crop, valued for its nitrogen fixation which increases soil fertility. For these reasons it is used as a green manure crop. Several Cultivar Groups have been selected for agricultural use, mostly derived from var. sativum. It has become naturalised in many temperate areas, including the Americas and Australasia as an escape from cultivation. The isoflavones and phytoestrogens from red clover have been used to treat the symptoms of menopause.